Artificial Danger
by CreativePunk77
Summary: AU. Series Three. Harvey/Ingrid. The Hyperbrain wants to move forwards with her plan. Yet, when Harvey Hunter accidently stumbles across her inside the University, her plans swiftly change...
1. Chapter 1

**Thank you to RedDragon for helping me with the title of this fic, and although this starts off in canon of Series Three, it does quickly divert off into AU.**

* * *

 **CHAPTER ONE**

Fourteen year old Harvey Hunter sighed as he trudged towards the local Library. Amidst the growing madness involving the green badges, the University and SPLATweb, he was glad to have been given a simple task to complete by his mother. Although the telephones and the Internet were currently down, Mrs Hunter had requested for Harvey to go to the Library, so that he could pick up the latest book by her favourite author for her.

Having obliged to this easy task, Harvey had strolled along the path to the Library, and as he approached it, he was startled to see that the doors were firmly sealed shut. Jogging up to the doors, Harvey squinted his eyes, attempting to see the interior of the building.

It was in the height of summer, meaning that at least _one_ of the doors should have been open, in order to get some fresh air in. However, there seemed to be no one in the Library itself and when Harvey tried to open the doors, he found that they wouldn't budge.

Annoyed at wasting his time and confused about why the Library was shut in the middle of the afternoon, Harvey nearly jumped out of his skin when a voice piped up from a few metres away.

"Didn't know that the Library was closed, did you?"

Turning his head, Harvey smiled slightly upon seeing an old woman, a dog on a leash by her side.

"Oh, n-no. I came here to get my Mum a book, but now, I can't…. Why is the Library closed anyway?"

The old woman glanced round quickly before answering his question. "It's the same with the Internet and the telephones. Shut them all down. I think they're all connected in some way."

"Yeah…" Harvey frowned. "Maybe because they all share information and provide people with it, as well?"

The woman's eyebrows rose. "Wow, I never thought of it like that. Anyways, I hope they get the Library open soon, I belong to their book club and I enjoy going there. Actually, Spot does too."

"Spot?"

The old lady gestured proudly to her dog. "Spot. She's ten next month. Been with me for eight years now, she's my best friend."

Harvey smiled warmly and slung his backpack over both of his shoulders, before crouching down. Extending a hand, he started to pet the dog.

"She's got lovely fur."

"Yes, I go and get her groomed every month. What about you? Do you have any dogs?"

"Um… no. I don't really like dogs enough to want one as my pet."

"Ah." The woman nodded knowingly. "More of a cat person, are you?"

"Yeah." Harvey retracted his hand and rose up. "I guess I should be getting back. I'll see you around."

The old lady smiled. "I hope so. I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name?"

"Oh, Harvey. Harvey Hunter."

"Lovely name. I'm Jane. Jane Tuffey."

They shook hands briefly, then once they had finished their handshake, Harvey bade her farewell and started heading home.

* * *

As he walked along, Harvey tapped away at one of the numerous apps installed on his phone. From time to time, he stumbled over his own feet, but instead of putting away his phone so that he could concentrate on where he was going, he just blamed it on his clumsiness.

Only when he heard rustling in the bushes, did he glance up from his phone.

Harvey squinted into the bushes, but he couldn't see any solid forms or figures. Shrugging his shoulders, he continued along the path, eyes glued to his phone once again.

The further he covered the path, the more the bushes rustled. After a minute of non-stop rustling, Harvey shoved his phone into his jacket pocket and nervously glanced round.

He wasn't going to say anything cliché…. Come to think of it, he wasn't going to say _ANYTHING, at all._

Shuffling forwards, Harvey jerked when he suddenly spotted a figure in the bushes. The figure, seemingly a male, glared back at him. Harvey whimpered and picked up the pace. As he jogged along the path, he continued to shoot glances at the bushes, terrified when his gaze clapped onto the mysterious figure every time.

By the time he reached the end of the path, Harvey was panting, and desperate to use his asthma pump. However, if he used up precious time to administer the inhaler, then the mysterious figure may catch up to him. With this in mind, Harvey summed up all of his energy and broke into a sprint.

On hindsight, he was glad that he had sped up, for as soon as he started sprinting, the mysterious figure burst out of the bushes and began to chase after him.

Harvey whipped his head round, shrieking at the top of his lungs upon spotting the figure several feet behind him. Now that he could see the figure up close, Harvey realised that he was being chased by _a tramp._ And judging by the facial expression, the tramp didn't just want a friendly chat.

Racing out onto a street, Harvey quietened down as he spotted the towering building that was the University. He knew that his sister frequently visited Professor Rowe, so decided to aim for the University. Hopefully, Dinah was there and he could locate her in time.

Harvey avoided the groups of green badge wearing people, and darted into the University. He didn't _dare_ slow down, in case the tramp caught up to him.

' _He could RAPE ME, for all I know!'_

That thought in his head, Harvey headed for the first available door. Although it was shut, he tackled this issue by screaming:

"HELP! OPEN THE DOOR, PLEASE!"

Immediately, the door slid open and Harvey rushed into the room, unaware that moments later, the door slid shut behind him. He stopped and doubled over, hands on his knees.

As he panted, he failed to realise that he was not alone….


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER TWO**

From the shadows of the room, emerged the hologram of the Hyperbrain.

She surveyed the Human boy with a critical expression. Bent over, his fair hair was guarding his face, so she could not analyse him properly. However, she doubted that he possessed much intelligence, judging by the way he was dressed.

Thinking that the boy was obsessed with sports, due to the clothes he had on, the Hyperbrain merely raised an eyebrow when the boy straightened up, head lifting to reveal his face. Straight off the bat, the Hyperbrain could tell that the boy was _not_ sporty. His chubby face and stocky body was proof of that. Not to mention the faded food stains on his jeans.

Upon examining his face, with the parted lips and wide chocolate brown eyes, the Hyperbrain deduced that his intelligence was _limited._

The same could not be said for his terror though…

* * *

Harvey Hunter, having regained his breath, had finally calmed down enough to lift his head. Although he realised what a big mistake he had made, when his gaze encountered a cold looking woman, presumably a Professor or a type of Scientist.

Gulping, Harvey allowed his gaze to take in the woman before him. She _seemed_ normal. White labcoat, dark hair pulled back and twisted into a hair-bun. Her hands were shoved deep into the pockets of the labcoat.

As Harvey eyed her nervously, the Hyperbrain titled her head. Although the Human boy looked weak, the information stored in his mind could be plentiful. And she _craved_ more information to intake. So, the Hyperbrain became tactical.

Plastering on a fake smile, she crooned softly:

"Hello, young man. What is your name?"

Harvey blinked at the robotic tone, then stuttered out his reply. "H-Harvey H-H-Hunter."

The Hyperbrain's smile widened. "Nice to meet you, Harvey. My name is Alicia. Alicia Cook."

"Are you a Professor?"

The Hyperbrain nodded. "Yes. Yes, I am. How old are you?"

"Erm… fourteen."

"Ah, _interesting."_

Harvey's forehead creased in confusion. "W-What is?"

"I merely thought that you were _older."_

Suddenly, Harvey straightened up more and puffed his chest out. "R-Really? Wow… maybe this h-haircut does suit me."

The Hyperbrain wanted to roll her eyes, but had to keep up the illusion that she was 'friendly'.

"Yes, it does." She gestured to the backpack slung over his shoulders. "Are you going anywhere nice?"

Harvey shook his head. "No, I just went to the Library, but it was shut." At the Hyperbrain's confused expression, Harvey said: "It's closed for some weird reason, but I think it's linked with the Internet and the telephone lines being down. So, anyways, I'm going home after this."

The Hyperbrain arched her eyebrow. "Why have you come here then?"

"Huh?"

 _Truly, this boy was idiotic._

"You stated that you planned to go to the Library. You did, and then you said that 'after this', you will be going straight home. So, what was the purpose of your visit?"

The Hyperbrain, understanding that she had to put the boy at ease, stepped forwards and smiled warmly.

"I will not… _rat you out,_ Harvey. Did you come here to have a look round?"

The boy in question cringed, then whispered: "N-No. Truth is… I w-was being c-chased so I ran in here."

"Chased?" The Hyperbrain's eyes widened in feigned concern. "By who?"

"A t-t-tramp." Harvey shuddered and hunched his shoulders slightly. "He w-was in the bushes and I t-tried to ignore him, but I p-panicked. I started running, and h-he chased me!"

The boy hung his head, and the Hyperbrain made a cooing sound. "Oh, you poor thing. I am glad that you are alright." Gesturing behind her, she crooned:

"I have a chair you can sit in. You must be _awfully weary._ How about you rest your feet?"

As Harvey glanced around, evident relief unfurling across his face, the Hyperbrain smirked to herself. Soon enough, all of the information in his head would belong to _her._

* * *

However, what she didn't count on, was Harvey's common sense. Although the offer was tempting and he _was_ tired from all of that running, he had a negative feeling about the chair. It was hidden from sight, but Harvey was grateful. He didn't want to _see_ the chair now, because the Professor was continuing to gesture towards it insistently.

What stemmed the negative feeling about the chair, was her tone of voice. She was so insistent that he sit down, but kept repeating her offer in _a crooning tone,_ and Harvey didn't like it one bit.

Any other tone of voice, he probably would have obeyed her command. Yet crooning to him, _so similar to how the Headmaster did on his first day at St Champions,_ sent Harvey reeling into panic mood. No matter how insistent she became, he could not sit in that chair. The Headmaster had used a crooning tone to unleash his devious plan, and it looked like the woman was using the same tactic.

As the Hyperbrain waited, attempting to control her growing irritation at the boy's slowness at the same time, Harvey slowly backed away, speaking in an apologetic tone.

"I'm really sorry, Professor Cook. My Mum's probably expecting me home by now, and I have to tell her that I couldn't get the book she wanted, so I'm gonna be in enough trouble as it is! Hah…. Erm…. Nice to m-meet you and I'll s-see you around, I guess."

Whilst Harvey backed away, the Hyperbrain was _fuming._ Unexpected that the boy did not fall for her trick, but _she was going to get his mind!_

Suddenly, her concerned façade fell away and the Hyperbrain narrowed her eyes, sneering:

" _Oh, I do not think that you are going anywhere."_

Within seconds, the Hyperbrain had activated the chair that was connected to the brain scanner. The boy stopped in his tracks and gawped like a fish. The Hyperbrain openly smirked and as the chair silently glided from the edge of the room, coming up behind the teenager, the boy's eyes widened drastically.

Harvey found himself unable to even _move,_ as his legs had turned to jelly.

The Hyperbrain grinned wickedly as the chair abruptly hit the boy in the back of the knees, causing Harvey to buckle and collapse into the chair. Knowing that _her_ _prey_ was caught, the Hyperbrain activated another part of the machine.

Beginning to squirm frantically in the chair as a pair of wrist restraints slid out and ensnared both of his wrists to each respective arm of the chair, Harvey yelped in fright as a visor suddenly came down, shielding his entire face. His breath splayed along the inside of the visor, his bulging eyes clapping onto the smirking woman before him.

The Hyperbrain appraised the scene in front of her, then spoke to the boy, not bothering to conceal her true tone of voice anymore.

"I am sure that you are wondering what I have planned for you, child. Well, first of all, let me reveal my true self to you…" Taking her hands out of the pockets of the labcoat, she continued:

"I am a hologram of the Hyperbrain. I _am_ the Hyperbrain, just in a simpler form." She indicated to herself, aware of how terrified the boy looked upon seeing her glowing green hands for the first time.

"This form allows me to walk freely and analyse the machine from an outside view. Yet, I cannot venture outside for obvious reasons…"

"Now, _child…"_ Harvey tensed at this, as he realised that she was about to do something. "I want you to be nice and calm, while I scan your brain."

Immediately, Harvey opened his mouth and screamed loudly. As well as having to deal with the fact that the woman was a _hologram_ and had _green hands,_ he was about to get his _BRAIN SCANNED!_

Rolling her eyes at the boy's noise, the Hyperbrain tutted. "Now, now, no need for that. I am simply going to scan your brain…. So that afterwards, I can take all of the information, leaving you with an empty mind."

Harvey's screams intensified at this piece of news, and he bucked against the restraints and visor, convinced that he would be killed. The tip of his nose brushed against the visor as he set about begging for his life.

"PLEASE! _PLEASE! DON'T KILL ME!_ I HAVE FRIENDS! FAMILY! MY GIRLFRIEND! LOVED ONES WHO WILL MISS ME! _PLEASE!_ I'LL GIVE YOU ANYTHING… I-I'LL _DO_ ANYTHING! JUST PLEASE DON'T SCAN MY BRAIN! _PLEASE DON'T KILL ME!"_

The Hyperbrain watched as the boy broke down and proceeded to sob, fat tears slithering down his cheeks. She sneered at the theatrics of such a _little boy_ , then stated:

"The process shall not kill you. _Be quiet._ I need full concentration to carry out the process successfully."

That was a blatant lie, but the Hyperbrain wished for the boy to fall silent, so that she could continue on with less distractions.

Although Harvey had stilled upon being informed that he would not die, he resumed his struggles once again, when the Hyperbrain glided over to the machine attached to the chair.

She toggled with the different buttons and levers on the machine, before thinking to herself:

' _Instead of scanning and wiping his brain, I shall simply scan it first, then decide how to proceed.'_

Of course, she didn't tell the Human that, but she was satisfied at the fear he was feeling and wanted to prolong that.

Once the machine was set correctly, the Hyperbrain wasted no time in scanning Harvey Hunter's entire brain.

* * *

Stepping away from the machine, the Hyperbrain mused to herself.

Harvey James Hunter contained a lot of information, albeit the majority of it was useless. Though his brain would be suitable to wipe, as it would provide her with extra knowledge and information, the Hyperbrain was _far more interested_ in the boy.

Specifically, _his body._

For after examining every memory, every thought and every feeling, the Hyperbrain had ascertained that the boy _was_ weak and was unable to put up much of a fight, regardless of his various health issues. This meant that anything _overtaking_ him, would be difficult for Harvey to battle, and knowing that, made the Hyperbrain's new plan shape into one that was becoming more and more potential.

Her new plan had started to form when she had examined his family tree and analysed the 'loved ones' he had been screaming about earlier. His family tree had intrigued her, particularly his sister. The Hyperbrain had learnt about 'Dinah Hunter, formerly Glass', and was interested in what the girl had to offer in terms of knowledge and information. From Harvey's memories, the Hyperbrain understood how much of a _genius,_ the boy's adopted sister was. She could use Dinah Hunter, but needed a way to get _close_ to the girl.

Upon moving on from Dinah, the Hyperbrain had learnt about Harvey's older biological brother, his friends and his beloved girlfriend. The daft boy was so in love with the girl, Ingrid, that the Hyperbrain had ended up flitting through memories of the young couple, as she could not _bare_ to glimpse another kiss shared between them.

She had then focussed onto the boy's latest friend, Michael Dexter. The surname struck her interest as she was certain that she had heard the name before. It was only when she had seen an image of Michael's Father that the name had clicked. Tim Dexter was the one who had developed the Hyperbrain, thus had created _her._

The final part of the plan was finding out that the boy and his friends had been 'hanging out' at a Cybercafé, located in the town. Although the Internet was currently down, because of her actions, it seemed as if the boy and his friends had created a website that did not need to access the Internet to function.

Overall, there were numerous benefits to using Harvey Hunter's body, as on top of spying on his loved ones and reaping more information and knowledge, _she could have the chance to walk outside in broad daylight._

A slow smile spread onto the Hyperbrain's face as she peered round the side of the machine so that she could see Harvey's face. The boy had been knocked into a trance during her little rummage in his mind, but now he was emerging from the trance.

Blinking, Harvey groaned: "Uh… w-what happened?"

"I delved through your mind, child. Now, I have changed my plans. I shall no longer be wiping your brain."

At this, Harvey slumped in relief, a mixture of emotions flooding through him, and one thought racing into his mind.

' _Maybe she'll let me go?!'_

Yet, this thought dissolved away as soon as the Hyperbrain spoke up. "Yes, my plan now is take over your body. Possession. My first time, but do not worry…." Her smile transitioned into one of evil. "I assure you, _it will be painful."_

"NO! NO, PLEASE! PLEASE, _I'M B-B-BEGGING YOU! I'LL DO ANYTHING! GIVE YOU ANYTHING!"_

Once again facing the machine, the Hyperbrain replied: "Oh, but you are, _dear child._ You are providing me with your body. Refrain from begging for your life, I will not be changing my mind."

As Harvey continued to scream at the top of his lungs, the Hyperbrain grabbed hold of the necessary wire, and plugged it into the back of the brain scanning machine. Unaffected by the loud noise, she collected a digital chip and slotted it into a compartment, situated directly behind the base of the boy's skull.

Eyes glinting in triumph, the Hyperbrain proceeded to download herself onto the chip. Whilst she did this, in the chair, Harvey was crying again. He so badly wanted his mother, or Ingrid.

Once the Hyperbrain had almost finished downloading herself onto the chip, she gathered all of the telekinetic energy she possessed, and used it to move the chip forwards.

 _Into the base of Harvey's skull._

* * *

At the sudden sting in the back of his head, Harvey flung his head back and shrieked ear-piercingly loud, his legs thrashing as the pain manifested into pure agony.

It was all too much, and Harvey felt a sudden urge to go back in time and alter the past, so that instead of running into the University, he had allowed himself to be caught by the tramp. Whatever the tramp had had in store for him, must have been a _damn lot_ _better_ than what he was currently going through.

Feeling a dark and evil presence penetrating his mind, Harvey squeezed his eyes shut, attempting to focus himself in order to get rid of the Hyperbrain.

Alas, he was far too weak to stop something that wasn't _human,_ and soon enough, Harvey Hunter slumped in the chair, his screams dying down to soft whimpers.

The body drifted into unconsciousness, but the eyes slowly shutting, glowed green.


	3. Chapter 3

**For the sake of this fic, I will continue to write the Hyperbrain using her name, instead of 'Harvey' as otherwise, it would get too confusing. I will also use 'she' to indicate that she is still possessing Harvey, though from other perspectives, they will obviously view Harvey as a 'he', as they do not know that he is possessed. Although the Hyperbrain knows everything about Harvey due to the brain scanning process, she struggles physically as, as well as being in a male teenager's body, she is used to being all formal and stiff in both manner and speech, so she finds it difficult to 'be' Harvey effortlessly. Plus, she has to pretend that she is human, which for an AI, is unsurprisingly difficult.**

* * *

 **CHAPTER THREE**

After an exact hour of being unconscious, Harvey James Hunter awoke.

Yet, what looked out of the chocolate brown eyes, was _not_ the fourteen year old boy.

 _It was the Hyperbrain._

* * *

Fully opening the eyes, the Hyperbrain groaned and slowly straightened up in the chair. She rolled her neck round, satisfied when the muscles became relaxed and relieved of tension.

Once wide awake, the Hyperbrain glanced down at her new body and grinned. It had all been too easy to take over this body, and she was going to make this _count._

All she had to do, was adjust to her new vessel.

She eyed the wrist restraints, marvelling over how restrictive they were, before clenching her fists. Squeezing her eyes shut, she used her telekinesis to easily break the wrist restraints. As the metal clanged onto the floor, the Hyperbrain lifted up the visor and rose to her feet. Rubbing her sore and marked wrists, the Hyperbrain sneered at the fact that her vessel was so easily bruised, then rushed to regain her balance as she wobbled on the spot.

She flung her hand out to aid her, and as her hand gripped the left arm of the chair, her hands lit up in a green glow. The fascination at seeing the boy's hands glow green passed, and for the first time _ever,_ the Hyperbrain was worried.

As well as having to adapt to the body, she would have to maintain extra control over her eyes and hands. For if Harvey's 'loved ones' caught sight of their friend with either his hands or eyes glowing green, then she would be rumbled.

There was no issue with acting as the boy though. _Everything_ in Harvey's mind was open and accessible to her, so she could easily pretend to be him and not arouse suspicion. Although, the people around the boy may become suspicious if she did not act _human_ enough. Regardless of how she now knew everything about the boy, if she did not seem _right,_ then her entire plan would be ruined.

Once her hands had stopped glowing, the Hyperbrain let go of the chair and staggered forwards, concentrating on putting one foot in front of the other. As she paraded up and down, glad that her vessel had small feet, she growled as she felt her eyes glow. There was no chance that she was allowing her eyes to glow at random times, as they could potentially be seen by someone close to the boy. Therefore, the Hyperbrain halted in her tracks and focussed, attempting to will away the glow from both her hands and eyes.

In the end, she was mostly successful, but she was aware that there was a slight chance that the glow could come back at any time. For now, she had to dismiss it from her mind and move on.

Continuing to stumble up and down the room, the Hyperbrain began to dwell on Harvey's numerous health issues. After analysing his mind whilst the boy had been in control of his body and in the chair, she had uncovered a _lifetime_ of hindrances to his health.

First off, she had learnt about the boy's near death experience as a new-born baby. So life threatening was his health issues, the doctors were forced to put Harvey onto a ventilator, in order to aid his breathing. Upon being released from hospital, Harvey had been kept a close eye on by his parents and at age five, was provided with an asthma pump.

He had gone through several in those nine years spanning from age five to present time. As well as being asthmatic, Harvey also possessed a weak Immune system and had a 'weak chest.' Any illness struck him down for _weeks_ and in the cold weather, he had to bundle up to prevent any colds or coughs, which could potentially become life threatening to him.

The Hyperbrain was surprised that the boy had lasted to the age of fourteen, but was _not_ shocked at the fact that Harvey Hunter was physically weak. Stocky _yes,_ but glancing down at her new body again, the Hyperbrain was convinced that the boy would be barely able to lift _his girlfriend,_ let alone, a heavy weight.

Stretching out her fingers and bending her knees simultaneously, the Hyperbrain decided that whenever an asthma attack was incoming, as _at least one attack_ was inevitable _,_ she would use all of her willpower to avert it. It may draw up questions from people, but she was damned if she was prepared to be subdued by an _asthma attack!_

After stretching out all of her limbs, the Hyperbrain patted down her pockets. There was nothing in the jacket, and the slim backpack on her back, to her, felt empty. After a quick look, the Hyperbrain saw that this was the case.

However, upon patting down the jean pockets, the Hyperbrain discovered four items. One was a slightly discoloured asthma pump, the second item was a set of keys, presumably for the boy's house, and the third was a wallet.

One brief check later confirmed that the wallet only held a five pound note and a few coins.

Examining the fourth item, the Hyperbrain arched an eyebrow. The boy's phone lit up, displaying a notification from ten minutes ago. Due to her extensive knowledge on technology, reaped from the few minds of her 'candidates' and the Internet, the Hyperbrain was familiar with the inner workings of a mobile phone.

The Hyperbrain tapped the recent message, and proceeded to read it.

' **Sweetie, where are you? You've been gone for about 2 hours now! Text me back as soon as you get this, I'm worried! Xx'**

Sneering at the sentimental message, the Hyperbrain started to type out a new message to send back to the boy's mother.

' **I am fine. Coming home now.'**

The Hyperbrain sent the message, then immediately winced at the obvious mistake she had made. Hastily, she fired off a few kisses in another message to Mrs Hunter, then turned the phone off and slipped it back into the jean pocket.

Once all of the items were back in their previous place and she was completely prepared, the Hyperbrain set off towards the door leading out of the room. It was sealed shut, but the door held no match to her telekinesis.

She marched stiffly out of the room and down the corridor, the exit looming up ahead. Smirking as she relished the complete control she had over Harvey Hunter's body, the Hyperbrain approached the exit and seconds later, emerged into the outside world.

* * *

The Hyperbrain hissed as the sun streamed down onto her, throwing a hand up to protect her eyesight from the blinding glare. She stumbled along the path, hating how she could not see properly, and cursing the sun for _weakening_ her.

Once again thankful that she had scanned the boy's brain before possessing him, as she knew the way back to his house and could easily make the journey, the Hyperbrain was left momentarily stunned when a person swarmed out of the shadows of the nearby alleyway and darted towards her.

The Hyperbrain dodged, and as the attacker spun round to face her, the Hyperbrain recognised him. It was the tramp that had troubled Harvey, mere hours earlier.

The tramp stalked forwards, a huge shark-like grin stretching his face as he halted in front of the young teenager. Broadening his stance, the tramp sneered:

"Well, _look 'ere!_ The idiot, who thinks he can stroll _through my territory!_ Saw your phone earlier, think I need a bit of _compensation…."_

The tramp reached forwards with a hand and snapped: "Give it here!"

Anticipating the boy to give in easily to his demands, the tramp was definitely _not expecting_ what happened next.

The Hyperbrain folded her arms over her chest, and replied: "No."

Curious at the robotic tone of voice, the tramp blinked, then hurled himself forwards. He grabbed hold of the boy's arms and shook him furiously, roaring:

"GIVE ME YOUR BLEEDING PHONE!"

Suddenly, the teenager shook his head. "I am afraid that I cannot allow that."

"WHY YOU TALKING LIKE THAT?!"

"Because…." The tramp yelled as he was pushed backwards by the boy's hands on his chest, subsequently letting go of the teenager and falling onto the ground painfully. As he groaned, above him, the boy loomed over him.

The Hyperbrain smiled evilly and crooned under her breath: "The Internet is so _useful."_

She stared down at the tramp for a few moments, before allowing her eyes to glow green. As the tramp looked up in horror, the Hyperbrain spoke:

"Provoke me again, and I _shall_ end your miserable life. Do you understand me?"

Slowly nodding, the tramp whimpered as the Hyperbrain suddenly sneered:

"I never want to see you again. If I do…. Well, let us say that you shall not be needing _your_ _brain_ any longer."

Chuckling at the tramp's terrified expression, the Hyperbrain turned round and headed off towards the Hunter residence, her glowing green eyes glinting in triumph.

* * *

Along the way to the Hunter house, the Hyperbrain had to avoid several groups of people wearing the green badges that she knew Harvey and his friends were investigating. Although she could _crush them easily,_ there was no point in making a scene. _Not when she had only just begun._

It was only when she entered the Hunter house, using the handy set of keys to open the front door, did the Hyperbrain wipe the evil smirk off of her face. Shutting the door behind her, the Hyperbrain was soon accosted by the one known as Teresa Hunter, or to her vessel, _Mum._

The Hyperbrain stared blankly at Mrs Hunter as she approached her, a warm smile on the woman's face.

"Harvey! There you are! I got your text, honey, thanks for that. Did you spend all of that time at the Library?"

"No… Mother. Unfortunately, the Library was shut, but I met a very nice old lady there. I am sorry that I could not get you the book that you wanted. After the old lady and I parted ways, I went for a walk, then as soon as I received your text message, I came straight back here."

Mrs Hunter sighed in exasperation. "Oh! That's such a shame! The Library is a big part of this community, and now where can I get the new book?! Nice that you met one of the locals though."

To the Hyperbrain's bewilderment, the Hunter woman abruptly burst out laughing. At her son's questioning look, Mrs Hunter flapped her hand.

"Oh, Harvey! I'm sorry, but it's just the way you were talking just now! 'Mother' and speaking in a posh manner! Sort of like a posh robot, I guess! Oh, you and your theatrics!"

The Hyperbrain mustered up her best smile, amidst her criticism of herself for not acting _human_ enough.

"Yes, well… Ian has been teaching me some theatre tricks."

Hoping that the false reason would fool the Hunter woman, the Hyperbrain was relieved when the woman responded, confirming to her that Mrs Hunter _had_ believed the excuse.

Mrs Hunter wiped her eyes dry, then pulled her son into a hug, squeezing him tightly. The Hyperbrain stood stiffly as Mrs Hunter murmured:

"We're having takeaway later. Don't worry, I'll let you choose it. I know you like choosing what we have to eat, and I don't mind, I just don't want us having it _every day,_ no matter how much you try to sway me, Harvey. Now, do you want to go upstairs and change? It must be pretty hot out, judging by the weather forecast."

As soon as the Hunter woman had let her go, the Hyperbrain curtly nodded and stretched her pained smile wider as Mrs Hunter pinched her cheek. Yet, as soon as the woman had turned round and ventured off back into the kitchen, the Hyperbrain dropped her smile and glared at the back of the departing figure.

After glaring at her for a couple of seconds, the Hyperbrain glanced around the hall-way with interest, eyes lingering on the framed photographs, before making her way up the stairs in a stiff manner. Reaching the top of the staircase, the Hyperbrain marched towards her vessel's bedroom and opened the door.


	4. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER FOUR**

Closing the door behind her, the Hyperbrain shrugged off her jacket and backpack, letting them fall to the floor, then let her gaze wander over the interior of the bedroom. Aware of Harvey's obsession with planes, the Hyperbrain was left dumbfounded at the amount of memorabilia that the boy had purchased over the years, which was now all within his bedroom.

From posters of different fighter planes to a whole desk and ceiling dedicated to models of small coloured planes, the whole collection was _grating_ on the Hyperbrain's nerves. Although she wanted to get rid of the entire lot, she knew that she had to 'keep up appearances' thus, she left the memorabilia untouched and sat down on the bed.

The state of the room screamed stereotypical teenager. There was a pile of clothes strewn on the floor, and dirty bowls and cups clustered together by the door. The bed she sat on was unmade and the Hyperbrain held her nose as she spied a half-eaten cheese sandwich rotting away in the bin. Attempting not to gag, the Hyperbrain examined the collage of photographs stuck on the wall above the bed. The majority of them were of Harvey and his girlfriend, but several contained the other members of his group, 'SPLAT.'

Gaze landing onto the bedside cabinet, the Hyperbrain sighed in irritation at the mess. Yet, amongst the mess, were two framed photographs that caught her attention. The first was of the boy, his siblings and his parents, and the second was of Harvey and Ingrid Smith again, but both looked younger and were clad in a green uniform.

The Hyperbrain concluded that the time era of the photograph was a couple of years ago, judging by their ages and the uniform was customary to the school called 'St Champions', which the Hyperbrain understood that Harvey, along with the rest of his group, had hated for numerous reasons.

Before setting her sights onto the wardrobe, one last item spiked her interest.

A worn and tattered teddy bear lay on the pillow, and the Hyperbrain could not conceal her sneer at the sight of such a childish toy. From what she had acknowledged, the boy had had this toy since birth, but she was mystified as to why he had not thrown it away. At the age of fourteen, _teddy bears_ were items of the past, or so she presumed.

Moving onto the wardrobe, the Hyperbrain opened up both doors and proceeded to examine the contents within. Curling her lip, the Hyperbrain thought to herself:

' _All the boy has is sports clothing. This shall not do. As long as I am in this body, I will dress it smartly."_

The Hyperbrain huffed as one of her fair coloured bangs ended up covering her right eye. She flicked the bang away and stepped up to the full length mirror positioned next to the wardrobe. Upon deciding that the hairstyle had to be given _the chop,_ the Hyperbrain stared at herself in the mirror.

Her new face was round and friendly, the innocence in the chocolate brown eyes and the warmth, clear to see. At a closer look at the hairstyle, the Hyperbrain cringed. It was _definitely_ time for a change. The stained jeans and black Adidas top she currently wore, would be staying in the wardrobe, but the rest of the clothes within, barring the one suit the boy had, would soon be heading towards the bin.

She wanted to keep the current clothes as a reminder of the day she possessed Harvey Hunter…

Suddenly, she smiled to herself as she turned round, her back towards the mirror. Her fingers swarmed through the hair covering the back of her neck, parting the locks away until her fingertips brushed the cold metal of the data chip. Craning her head round so that she was facing the mirror again, the Hyperbrain glanced at the now visible data chip, her smile widening in triumph.

A few moments passed, before the Hyperbrain let go of her hair and watched the locks fall back into place, her hair effectively concealing the data chip from view. Pivoting one hundred and eighty degrees, the Hyperbrain ruffled her hair in distaste, when suddenly, she was flung off of her feet and catapulted back onto her bed.

Her vision in contact with the strung up air models dotted ceiling, the Hyperbrain writhed widely, feeling _something_ inside of her. From the very depths of her vessel, emerged a weak voice, and the Hyperbrain sneered as Harvey _finally_ made his return.

Continuing to writhe as the pathetic boy attempted to take control back over his body, the Hyperbrain summoned all of her power and strength, and managed to repel the boy, casting him back into the depths of darkness.

The short struggle over, the Hyperbrain ceased writhing and rolled her neck, sighing happily. She then sat up, and smirked at the mirror. As her eyes glowed green, she hissed at her reflection:

" _You will never beat me, Harvey James Hunter. This body is MINE now, and soon enough, you will accept that. Give up, little boy."_

The Hyperbrain peeled her lips back, and began to chuckle darkly, the robotic laugh reverberating around the bedroom.


	5. Chapter 5

**CHAPTER FIVE**

Twenty minutes later, the Hyperbrain had another reason to roll her eyes.

" _Harvey!_ Come down, sweetheart!"

Shuddering, the Hyperbrain strode over to the door. Opening it, she turned back to appraise the filthy room once more, then left the bedroom, closing the door behind her.

The Hyperbrain descended the stairs, head cocking to the side as she encountered three people. One, the boy's mother, was irrelevant, but the two new faces intrigued her.

 _Lloyd and Dinah Hunter._

As both of her 'siblings' grinned at her, the Hyperbrain plastered on one of her own. She _needed_ to act flawlessly at this moment in time, so decided to get the ball rolling.

"Afternoon, Lloyd. Hello, Dinah. I went to the Library earlier, but it was closed. How has your day been?"

Lloyd snickered. "Alright… H, why are you talking like that?"

"Like what?"

" _All posh."_

The Hyperbrain narrowed her eyes. "I am not, Lloyd."

"You are." Dinah piped up. "Usually, you speak in slang. Mum's always trying to get you to stop."

"It's true." Mrs Hunter chirped.

Suddenly, the Hyperbrain snapped: _"So what?! Maybe I want to be seen as more mature!"_

Straight away, she could tell that she had said the wrong thing. Mrs Hunter and Lloyd were glaring at her, with Dinah in the background, sending her a bemused expression.

As Lloyd began to scold her, the Hyperbrain folded her arms over her chest, lip curling.

"I don't know what's got into you today, H, but it better stop. Dinah and I didn't mean anything by it, just take it as a joke. Now, are you going to stop behaving like a baby?"

"I am not behaving like a baby, _brother."_

"Harvey! Don't take that tone with us!"

The Hyperbrain sneered at Mrs Hunter. "Oh _please,_ I can talk to you _inferiors_ how I want. Is that not correct, Dinah?"

Whilst Lloyd and Mrs Hunter shared baffled looks, Dinah blinked. "Excuse me? Why are you dragging me into this?"

"Well, the two of us are _clearly more intelligent_ than everyone else-"

The Hyperbrain was cut off by Lloyd bursting into laughter. Mrs Hunter scolded her eldest child, trying to contain her own muffled laughter, and Dinah's eyes widened.

"Harvey… I'm sorry to be so blunt, but you're not as clever as me…. You know I'm a genius, and I'm sorry…" Her sentence dropped off at the sight of her little brother, tears welling up in his eyes. Immediately, she felt guilt rush through her. Once again, as she used to be when she was younger, she had put on a cold front and been too harsh in dealing with Harvey, and she still was not confident on comforting anyone, even her own family.

Luckily, Mrs Hunter was on hand to soothe her youngest child. She rushed forwards and enveloped Harvey into her arms. Stroking his back, she whispered soothing nonsense into his ear, as her son sobbed into her chest.

Whilst the three actual Hunters fretted over the youngest, the Hyperbrain continued to fake cry, a smirk playing on her lips. She had forced tears to come to her eyes so that she could fool everyone into thinking that she had been _hurt_ by Dinah's comments. The comments that were not cold in the slightest, only truthful.

The cherry on top was that the boy's mother had not wasted any time in hugging her to her chest, concealing her face from the boy's siblings, as well as herself.

This meant that she could smirk openly, without being questioned.

Drying up her fake tears, the Hyperbrain wiped the smirk off of her face and pulled back, whispering:

"Thank you… Mum. I am alright now. Dinah…" She glanced towards the girl. "I have taken no offence, are we alright?"

"Yeah." Dinah nodded her head. "We're fine."

"Good." The Hyperbrain smiled back, thinking to herself: _'I must shadow the girl, her intelligence is intriguing. Intelligence that I can touch on in the future.'_

Mrs Hunter checked her youngest son over, before saying: "I'll go and get some menus for you to choose from. Back in a minute."

She scuttled off, and the Hyperbrain was left alone with her 'siblings.'

* * *

Smiling at both of them, the Hyperbrain tilted her head when Lloyd made an announcement.

"Remember tomorrow, the rest of SPLAT, Michael and Kate are coming here first, then we're all going to the Cybercafé."

This sparked an interest in the Hyperbrain as she vowed to stick close to Kate and Michael as well, as the two children may hold some useful information. The Hyperbrain discreetly rolled her eyes when Mrs Hunter bustled back in, half a dozen menus in her arms.

She handed the menus over to the Hyperbrain, and said: "Choose one of them, then you can order what you want off of it. _Please,_ try to keep your order _under fifty pounds,_ this time. It's not just you having takeaway, sweetheart."

"Okay, Mum. I shall go and choose my food now."

Menus in her hands, the Hyperbrain marched off into the living room. She perched onto the sofa and flicked through the menus, quickly narrowing down her choices. After discarding the other five menus, the Hyperbrain was left with Indian.

Her eyes scanned the choices on offer, her lips twisting at the descriptions she read. Although her vessel enjoyed Indian food, the Hyperbrain was not sure what _she_ wanted to have. She could just select Harvey's usual order, but she wanted to _be in control_ and make her own choices.

Plus, having Indian cuisine as her first ever meal was _tricky,_ compared to simple homemade meals.

Eventually, she circled her choices, making sure to order a large quantity, but keep the bill _under_ fifty pounds. Upon locating the Hunter woman, the Hyperbrain handed back the chosen menu, then said:

"I shall be in my room until the takeaway has been delivered. Please let me know when it has arrived, Mother."

Smothering her giggles with the palm of her hand, Mrs Hunter said: "Of course, sweetie."

The Hyperbrain turned sharply on her heel and marched towards the stairs, rolling her eyes at the contained laughter. As she marched up the stairs, she was unaware that Lloyd Hunter was outside in the garden, frowning to himself as he contemplated his younger brother's strange actions and style of speech.

* * *

An hour later, the four Hunters were sitting down for dinner. Spread across the table was an assortment of Indian takeaway, including dishes that all four usually shared between them, as well as their own personal choices.

Teresa gazed round at her three children, beaming brightly. "Now I know that Dad's not with us at the moment, lucky him getting a free holiday, but just know that he's thinking of all of you and that he loves you very much."

Dinah smiled, a warm feeling in the pit of her stomach. Lloyd scowled, wishing that their father hadn't gone away on a business trip abroad so soon after he had woken up from his coma. The Hyperbrain simply blinked, before speaking.

"Shall we start, Mother?"

"Go right ahead." Mrs Hunter leant over and patted her son's arm. "No need to call me 'Mother', Harvey. Plain old 'Mum' is fine."

The Hyperbrain blinked again. "But you _are_ my Mother…"

"H!"

The Hyperbrain snapped her attention onto Lloyd, who was looking exasperated. "You've never called Mum, 'Mother' before! Stop saying that, it's weird! Only _Di_ would say something like _Mother."_

"Hey!" Dinah shot her elder brother a frosty look. "Stop badgering him and don't bring me into this."

"I'm not, I-"

"Kids! Shouldn't you all be eating by now?"

As Lloyd grumbled under his breath, the Hyperbrain gazed down at her plate. Currently, it was empty, but soon it would be filled up with _food._ Being a hologram, she had _never_ _eaten anything,_ as she hadn't needed to sustain any food or water to survive. Yet, this body she was in, _did_ need to consume food and water, so she would have to make sure that she ate plenty enough to keep her energy levels up.

As the others tucked in, the Hyperbrain inhaled deeply, then extended a hand towards the bowl packed with Naan breads.

* * *

A few minutes passed, and with everyone else beginning to eat, the Hyperbrain's gaze fell upon her now full plate. Two Naan breads, three Samosas, a handful of Bhajis, along with two scoopfuls of rice. She had dolloped one of the Hunter woman's choices onto her plate, in the form of Butter Chicken and had also a large portion of the main dish that _she_ had ordered. Vindaloo Curry.

Taking knife and fork in hand, the Hyperbrain delicately scooped some of the Curry onto her fork and slowly brought it up to her mouth. Parting her lips, she placed the food into her mouth, pulled the fork out and closed her lips. The Hyperbrain chewed slowly, the new action unnerving her. However, seconds later, she became aware that _her mouth was on_ _fire._

Hastily swallowing the mouthful, the Hyperbrain panted heavily, nostrils flared and eyes streaming. As her ears and neck flushed red, she opened her mouth and let loose an almighty scream that shocked Mrs Hunter, Lloyd and Dinah to the core. As well as the shock, it also sparked confusion within Dinah. It was true that she had heard her younger brother scream _a lot._ But his screams had never sounded _so robotic…._

The Hyperbrain jerked around in her chair, the heat of the Curry causing tears to stream down her face and her senses to overload. If she did not get this heat contained soon, then her hands and eyes could possibly start glowing, which would ruin her plan forever.

Fortunately, Mrs Hunter was on hand to help. Quickly passing over a glass of fresh water, Teresa yelled:

"Drink it, sweetie! It'll help!"

The Hyperbrain snatched the glass from the woman's hands and gulped down the water, not stopping to draw breath until the water had been completely drained. As the three Hunters sighed in relief, the Hyperbrain put the glass down and scowled at the Curry that had _poisoned_ her.

From her seat, Mrs Hunter reached forwards and patted her son's arm. "Don't worry, Harvey. You can leave it if you want to."

Nodding in distaste, the Hyperbrain gingerly prodded at one of the Samosas with her fork, before nibbling at it.

For the remainder of the meal, the Hyperbrain delicately nibbled at her food, earning strange looks from her 'family.'

* * *

Heading upstairs to her bedroom, the Hyperbrain smirked to herself. Aside from the dreadful event of _dinner_ , the day had gone well in her mind. The Hunter family noticed nothing wrong with the youngest member and very slowly, she was becoming more comfortable in her vessel.

Yet, another drawback to possessing a human, was that their energy levels were abysmal. Another new feature that she had to act upon, was sleeping. She did not want to relax, but her body was drained and ached for sleep. So reluctantly, after brushing her teeth, (another new action to undertake), she changed into a pair of patterned pyjamas and climbed into bed.

Now in total darkness, the Hyperbrain shifted onto her back, body straight as a rod, and stared up at the ceiling. The boy's toy had been thrown to the floor, where it belonged, and as her eyelids shut, the Hyperbrain forced herself into slumber.


	6. Chapter 6

**CHAPTER SIX**

After a nine hour rest, the Hyperbrain awoke. Sitting up stiffly, she glanced at the small clock on the bedside cabinet. Huffing at the fact that it was nine thirty _already,_ the Hyperbrain got out of bed and quickly changed into one of the boy's _dreadful shirts_ and tugged on a pair of jogging bottoms over a fresh set of underwear. As she slipped on a pair of socks, the Hyperbrain noticed the bottle of cologne on the edge of the bedside cabinet and decided to use it.

Once the bottle was in her hand, the Hyperbrain sniffed the contents, grimacing at the odour. Although it smelt _disgusting,_ she had not had a shower, so she needed to mask the unwashed scent with _lemons._

She shoved her feet into the boy's battered trainers, then proceeded to spray the cologne all over herself.

Immediately, her senses were infiltrated by the sharp waft of lemon. As the Hyperbrain slammed the bottle of cologne back onto the bedside cabinet, gagging heavily, she used her telekinesis to heave open the window. She darted towards the open window and stuck her head outside, inhaling a deep breath. The fresh air soothed her senses, and the Hyperbrain sighed in contentment.

Once her senses had cleared, she pulled her head back in. Closing the window, the Hyperbrain brushed herself down, then departed from the bedroom, heading downstairs and into the kitchen.

* * *

Her 'family' were already seated at the table, and the Hyperbrain forced a smile onto her face as she was greeted by Mrs Hunter, Lloyd and Dinah.

"Morning everyone."

Sitting down on one of the spare chairs, the Hyperbrain allowed the Hunter woman to make her breakfast, as she did not want to display her lack of _finesse_ when it came to using electronic appliances, in a human body.

She sipped her orange juice and nibbled her heavily buttered toast, right leg steadily bouncing up and down on the spot.

The Hyperbrain blinked when the doorbell suddenly rung, eyes widening as Lloyd leapt to his feet and announced excitedly:

"That's them!"

Whilst Lloyd weaved his way to the front door, Mrs Hunter commented: "Goodness, they're early."

"Got a lot we want to do today, Mum." Dinah smiled apologetically.

"I understand, dear. Well, I guess I better go to the supermarket and get the food shopping over with."

The Hyperbrain stopped eating, gaze fixed firmly on the Hunter woman. She seemed so…. _sad._ The Hyperbrain paid no mind to the woman's hurt feelings, but as she was pretending to be _her son,_ she had to display some of Harvey's kind and caring nature.

Rising to her feet, the Hyperbrain brushed past an oblivious Dinah and sidled up to Mrs Hunter.

"Mother… are you okay?"

"F-Fine, sweetie."

The Hyperbrain narrowed her eyes. "No, you are not. Look, I will accompany you to the supermarket."

"But your friends-"

" _Can wait for me."_

The Hyperbrain faked a sigh and placed her hand onto the woman's shoulder, turning Teresa round to face her.

"You are upset, I can tell. I am sorry if we offended you by planning to rush off so quickly. You know… how Lloyd can be. Do not fuss, I shall come along. We need to… bond."

Praying that her little speech had not aroused any suspicion within Mrs Hunter, the Hyperbrain quirked her lips at the woman's reply.

"Oh, Harvey! How nice of you! Because you're such a _good boy,_ I'll even look the other way when you put something… _unhealthy_ in the trolley. Sound good?"

"Yes. I shall go and inform Lloyd and Dinah now."

Mrs Hunter beamed and ruffled her youngest son's hair. The Hyperbrain grimaced at the hair ruffling, then marched over to the boy's siblings, who were standing by the open front door.

As the Hyperbrain entered the hall-way, she glimpsed five faces peering in from outside. Nodding stiffly at them as they greeted her, the Hyperbrain halted a few metres away from Lloyd and Dinah, and said:

"I am accompanying Mother to the supermarket." Before the pair could say anything, the Hyperbrain snapped: "I shall not be long. You can all wait for me to get back."

She blinked as a sudden voice piped up from outside. "Hey, Harvey! If you're not back here within an hour, I'll come after you!"

At this, the Hyperbrain plastered on a smile and cooed: "Sweetie, I love you too!"

Internally, she gagged. Having to _flirt_ with a _human,_ especially another _female_ was sickening, but she had to maintain her façade.

Behind her, Mrs Hunter walked up, handbag and empty shopping bags to hand. "Ok, Harvey, let's go. Alright, kids, we won't be too long."

Dinah and Lloyd waved them off as the Hyperbrain and Mrs Hunter waited for the children outside to stream into their house. As she entered the hall-way, Ingrid grinned and pecked her boyfriend on the lips, saying saucily:

"See you later, sunshine."

The Hyperbrain chuckled uncomfortably and waggled the fingers on her left hand in Ingrid's face.

"Bye… bye."

Ingrid pulled a face at such a pathetic farewell, but allowed her boyfriend to march out of the house. She eyed him as he moved to the car. Something about the way he walked was bothering her….

* * *

In the car, the Hyperbrain watched Mrs Hunter's hands in suppressed fascination as she started up the car. She understood the mechanics of vehicles, but experiencing it first-hand took her breath away.

The drive to the supermarket was short, so short that by the time they arrived, the Hyperbrain was still blown away by the car mechanics. She shifted out of the car at Mrs Hunter's command, trailing after the woman as she collected a trolley and strolled into the supermarket.

An array of packaged food and drink to be plucked off of the shelves, astounded the Hyperbrain. Instead of having to grow the food themselves, the humans simply took some time out of their pointless lives to purchase processed food, which in turn, they stuffed themselves with.

As Mrs Hunter dropped some fruit into her trolley, she giggled at the sound of her son's stomach rumbling.

"Wow, sounds like someone's hungry. Do you want something to eat, sweetheart?"

Gritting her teeth at the term of endearment, the Hyperbrain shoved her hands into her pockets, muttering: "No, thank you, Mother. I wish to proceed."

Mrs Hunter snorted, still baffled by her youngest child's sudden change in speech. She wheeled the trolley over to the meat section, and picked up a box of mince.

"Fancy lasagne tonight? You can help me make it if you want."

The Hyperbrain grimaced internally at this, but she recalled that Harvey enjoyed cooking with his mother, so reluctantly agreed to the woman's offer.

Mrs Hunter beamed, and after placing the mince into the trolley, continued on further into the shop. The Hyperbrain sighed, and marched after her.

* * *

At the check-out, the Hyperbrain eyed her 'treats' with disgust. True to her word, the boy's mother had practically _pressured_ her into selecting several treats, disregarding the prices for once. The Hyperbrain had not lingered in the aisle, merely grabbing the nearest treat that Harvey liked, and depositing her choice into the trolley.

Once Mrs Hunter had paid for her shopping, the two of them exited the supermarket and unloaded the contents of the trolley into the boot of the car. Pecking her son on the cheek before getting into the driver's seat, Mrs Hunter cooed:

"Thank you, Harvey. You're such a polite young man."

The Hyperbrain's simple response, was to roll her eyes.

* * *

A little over an hour later, the six SPLAT members, as well as Michael and Kate, were in the Cybercafé, crowded around two computers. Kate sat at one, Mandy the other. Lloyd and Ian stood behind them, with Michael and Dinah off to the side slightly, Michael attempting to flirt badly with an oblivious Dinah. The Hyperbrain had the misfortune of not being near enough to the computer to memorise the information, as the boy's girlfriend had dragged her off to one of the tables close to the group, but was in the middle of trying to kiss her.

Ingrid stroked one of the Hyperbrain's bangs, whispering: "Even though I hate your hair at the moment, I could never hate you…"

The Hyperbrain gagged mentally at the soppiness pouring from the girl's mouth, but responded sweetly. "I know you hate my hair, but it is something different to that dreadful bowl cut hairstyle I used to… rock. And, I love you too."

Ingrid raised an eyebrow, and withdrew from her boyfriend.

"Are you alright, babe? You sound… _odd."_

The Hyperbrain nodded, pleased that the human had stepped away from her. "Yes. I am simply trying to act more mature."

"Hah, mature, _please."_ Ingrid gestured to the rest of the group. "With these lot, we're _never_ going to be seen as mature. Especially you and that haircut."

The Hyperbrain growled, and managed to sidle away from Ingrid, leaning over Ian's shoulder in order to stare at the computers. A smile slowly spread across her face. _Here_ was the base of the human children's operations.

SPLATweb, which the Hyperbrain knew, thanks to Harvey's mind, was a site that did not require the Internet, a fortunate stroke of luck for the children. This site was used to send messages to other human children, and the methods in which the messages were sent, fascinated her.

Carrier pigeons, flag waving and mirrors. It was genius, and the Hyperbrain stewed, understanding that these children, minus the boy she was in control of, were _intelligent._ Intelligent enough to bring down her plans.

Seeing the set-up first hand was intriguing, and the Hyperbrain filed away the information and image for a later date. She tilted her head as Kate suddenly shouted:

"Plum and Jelly! Hey, everyone! They've sent me a message, they want to come and meet all of us!"

The others, excluding the Hyperbrain gasped. Lloyd muscled into the front, causing the Hyperbrain to roll her eyes. The Chairman of SPLAT bent next to Kate, read the message, and then ordered:

"Arrange a meeting time. We can meet them here, preferably in the next couple of days."

Pleased at this development, as it meant that she could meet more of her foes face to face, the Hyperbrain gritted her teeth as a pair of arms wrapped around him, Ingrid hugging her tightly.

Her annoyance at her 'girlfriend' melted away, as Plum and Jelly soon came back with a date and time. Kate sent back confirmation, and the Hyperbrain allowed herself to smirk evilly.

Very soon, the mysterious pair would be revealed to them all.


	7. Chapter 7

**CHAPTER SEVEN**

The next morning was a relief for the Hyperbrain. Away from the advances of Ingrid Smith, and the other inferior humans, was a relief to her. Yes, she was missing out on building bridges with them and obtaining further information about their site, but she could not deal with them on a daily basis.

So, she was staying indoors.

Currently, she was staring at herself in the mirror, the loathsome bangs her source of disgust. She ran her fingers through the bangs, sneering quietly:

" _Such_ _awful_ _hair_. I must change it, _myself."_

The Hyperbrain picked up the pair of scissors she had taken from downstairs, and brought them up to the bang covering her right eye. Carefully, she pulled the entire bang away from her face, and started to snip away the offending hair. Once the bang had been completely cut off, the Hyperbrain replicated her actions, but with the left bang, smiling in satisfaction when both of the cut bangs were lying in a heap on the floor.

After snipping several more strands, the Hyperbrain placed the scissors onto the bed, and picked up Harvey's comb. Raking the comb through her hair, barely affected by the harshness of it on her scalp, the Hyperbrain styled the fair locks into a neat, smart hairstyle, worthy of someone who wanted to be taken _seriously._

She then fired up Harvey's laptop, and scrawled through countless websites, selecting clothes that she approved of, and not at all bothered by the extortionate prices. Once she had chosen the items that she wanted, the Hyperbrain paid for everything by using one of Mr Hunter's credit cards. As he was abroad, and had not taken the card with him, having taken others to use, the Hyperbrain took it for herself and racked up an expensive bill onto the credit card, understanding that Mr Hunter would be too occupied with his work to be concerned over mysterious purchases that have been added to one of his abandoned credit cards.

* * *

A few hours later, and with a belly full of tomato soup and brown bread, the Hyperbrain received a text alert, informing her that her purchases were on their way to the house. As she waited, she tidied up her bed and the cabinet beside it, smiling when there was a knock at the front door.

The Hyperbrain hurried down the stairs, accepting the packages with a forced smile, then returned to her new bedroom, all without any interruptions. She opened up the boxes slowly, cursing under her breath upon seeing her hands glow green. Fortunately, no one else was in the room with her, and she managed to will the glow away, her hands returning to their normal pallor.

Over the next half hour, the Hyperbrain tried on all of her new purchases, smirking in delight at each outfit she put on. In the end, the Hyperbrain approved of all of her choices, and flung open her wardrobe, a sneer tainting her lips as she surveyed _Harvey's_ clothes before her.

It was the termination of an era, for now, _she_ was here to stay, and the changing of clothes would resemble that. The Hyperbrain proceeded to bin all of the boy's clothes, and refurbish the hangers with _smart_ and _elegant_ clothing, which consisted of cardigans, polo shirts, jumpers, and tailored trousers, amongst other items.

Now that the contents of the wardrobe were up to scratch, the Hyperbrain decided to clean the bedroom thoroughly.

' _It so needs it, and I refuse to rest in such a PIG STY.'_

She grabbed the polish and duster from where she had left them earlier, and set about cleaning the rest of the room, not stopping until every surface was clean. The Hyperbrain also hoovered the room and binned any food leftovers, with much distaste.

Bedroom completely clean, the Hyperbrain smiled in satisfaction. She continued to smile for the rest of the afternoon, even when, much later, the Hunter woman applauded her in a patronising manner for 'spring cleaning.'


	8. Chapter 8

**THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS MATURE CONTENT.**

* * *

 **CHAPTER EIGHT**

The Hyperbrain examined the bedroom in satisfaction. _Finally,_ the room was clean and the wardrobe was packed full of her new clothes, the old ones dumped in the rubbish where they belonged.

Sighing happily, the Hyperbrain lay down onto her bed, her mind turning to other agendas. She was becoming used to her new body, but what confused her, was all of the _functions._ She knew _of_ them, but since she had taken over the boy's body, she had not had the opportunity to explore her vessel.

The Hyperbrain sat up, and tugged off her plain blue shirt, flinging it to the floor. Not wanting to go down the porn route, the Hyperbrain decided to simply _explore,_ and not rely on her imagination or draw anything from the boy's non-existent sexual fantasies.

Sitting cross-legged, the Hyperbrain traced her fingers up her torso, the last remnants of baby fat causing her to shudder as her fingers caressed the skin. The pads of her fingers lightly circled her nipples, and she gasped, the hairs on her arms rising. She gently touched them, comparing the small bumps in her mind to ones that belonged to a woman.

After circling her nipples, tweaking and rubbing them to gain more satisfaction, the Hyperbrain decided to up the ante.

Hand sliding downwards, the Hyperbrain stretched out her legs, other hand splayed on the duvet, supporting her. As her hand breached her jogging bottoms, the Hyperbrain allowed her fingers to simply touch the centre of her boxer shorts, the concealed flesh starting to stir.

Intrigued, and wanting _more_ pleasure, the Hyperbrain lay her hand flat, and proceeded to palm the flesh. Soon enough, the worked flesh evolved into an erection, and the Hyperbrain found herself moaning.

 _This was wonderful._

' _I should have done this before today.'_

Craving even more pleasure, the Hyperbrain peeled down her jogging bottoms and underwear, kicking both off of her feet. Now completely naked, apart from the boy's putrid locket fixed around her neck, the Hyperbrain laid back onto her forearms, and stared down in fascination.

The penis was erect, standing full-mast, veins pulsating blood to the organ. The Hyperbrain smirked as she shifted her forearms so that she could lay fully on her back. Her right hand crept towards the penis, and her left hand reached down towards the scrotum.

Fingers on her right hand wrapped around the penis, and slowly, the Hyperbrain pumped the flesh, moaning in ecstasy at the sensations coursing through her. Scrotum, flesh tense, was massaged by the fingers on her left hand, and the Hyperbrain pushed her heels into the duvet as she dipped her fingers lower to caress the concealed testicles.

As her body tingled, the Hyperbrain reluctantly pulled away the attention from the scrotum and testicles, only to focus all of it onto the penis. She snaked her left hand upwards, above her head, and with all of her might, clamped her hand onto the top pillow.

The right hand continued to pump the penis at a more rapid pace, the strokes hard and fast. The nipples were erect, and she arched her body up, feet offering support of her weight. The Hyperbrain dipped her head back, and as she orgasmed, she let loose a low groan, ejaculating mere moments later.

The Hyperbrain panted, sinking her body down onto the duvet. Eyes and fingers beginning to blaze green, she eyed the mess she had made with triumph.

Not only had she satisfied herself, but she had humiliated the boy by defacing his body in the most painful way.

The Hyperbrain smirked, whispering to herself: _'Time to let the boy know that I am in charge from now on.'_


	9. Chapter 9

**CHAPTER NINE**

Two days later, SPLAT, Michael and Kate were back at the Cybercafé. On the way there, Lloyd had reminded everyone that today was the day that they would meet the mysterious 'Plum' and 'Jelly' for the first time. Everyone had been excited, save for the Hyperbrain. Instead, she was intrigued. If the pairing ran a risk of ruining her plans, then they would have to be eradicated, and _quickly._

Now, the eight of them were gathered around one of the larger tables, plastic cups of coke in front of them. Michael's watch beeped, signifying the arranged time. The majority of the group's eyes flickered over to the entrance, but after five minutes of no one walking through the doors, attention turned towards another topic.

"Harvey! You've changed your hair!"

The Hyperbrain curled her lip at Kate, replying in a patronising manner. "So glad that you _finally_ noticed. I was tired of sporting the _boy band_ look, so I cut my hair, in order to make my appearance neater."

"You cut your hair yourself?!"

Throwing the girl an irritated glance, the Hyperbrain sneered: _"Yes."_

Kate seemed affronted, which caught Mandy's attention. The older girl directed a frown onto the Hyperbrain.

"That wasn't very nice, Harvey. Kate was only asking."

Wincing at her _fatal_ mistake, the Hyperbrain forced a gasp, and sputtered: "I am s-sorry, Kate! I did not mean to antagonise you! I changed my hair because I want to look more mature, and I changed my style of clothing to reflect that as well."

Kate glossed over Harvey's earlier spite, and smiled. "It's alright." She eyed up his attire, which consisted of a designer jumper and a pair of tailored trousers, black branded shoes on his feet. "And you certainly look the part."

Beside the Hyperbrain, Ingrid reached over, her hand settling on top of her boyfriend's. She purred:

"You're still fucking handsome though."

Immediately, Lloyd snapped: _"Ingrid!"_

"What?"

Mandy shook her head in exasperation, then nodded to Michael and Kate. "There's kids here."

Kate and Michael simultaneously raised their eyebrows, saying in unison: "We're not the only kids here."

"Sorry." Mandy winced. "Force of habit."

Lloyd shared a look with Dinah, which caused Ingrid to snap, Ian's laughter cascading in the background.

"Don't give that _look_ at each other! I'm allowed to swear!"

"Yes." Dinah murmured. "But you shouldn't really do it in front of everyone, especially in public."

"Alright, Miss Goody Two Shoes." Ingrid sneered. "But I was only stating the truth."

Dinah simply stared at Ingrid in response. Hastily, the Hyperbrain leapt into action, wanting to draw the attention away from her 'girlfriend' and onto a topic of more importance.

"So… how is our site doing?"

However, no answer was given, as Ian's laughter took centre stage, the tall boy himself doubled over. Amidst the grins and disapproving frowns, the Hyperbrain scowled. The stupid _moron_ was interfering!

Before she could tell him to be quiet, a new voice piped up from a few metres away from the table.

"What's so funny?"

* * *

The eight of them stared at the source of the voice, only to find two young children, slightly younger than Michael and Kate. The girl, who had been the questioner, was short, and wore a baggy shirt and denim knee-length shorts. Her auburn hair was loose and dead straight. She wore battered hiking boots on her feet, and around her wrist, was a multi-coloured bracelet.

Next to her was a boy. His hair colour was auburn as well, suggesting to SPLAT, Michael and Kate that the two children were related in some way. Like the girl, the boy had a round face, but he had a small scar on the underside of his chin. His clothes consisted of a long sleeved shirt and a thin pair of trousers, his own set of battered hiking boots on his feet. The boy also had a bracelet looped around his wrist, his one a darker shade compared to the girl's.

The two children shared a look, before both of them piped up:

"Are you guys SPLAT?"

Momentarily stunned, Lloyd blinked, then promptly took charge. "Yes, we are. I'm Lloyd, the Chairman." He pointed his finger at Dinah. "That's Dinah. She's an Orphan, but my parents adopted her a few years ago." After Dinah had greeted them, Lloyd moved onto Michael.

"Michael. He's not part of SPLAT. We've only known him a few weeks, more Dinah's friend than anything, but he's useful."

The two children raised their eyebrows at Lloyd's blunt summary, whilst Michael himself seemed quite disheartened.

"The same with Kate. We met her here when we started coming to the Cybercafé, which was a month back. She's a total computer whiz."

Kate grinned, and waved at the two strangers.

Pointing at Mandy, Lloyd said: "As well as me and Di, there are four other members of SPLAT. This is Mandy. She's the 'Mother Hen', and the peacemaker of the group."

Mandy scoffed. "Don't underestimate me, _Mr Chairman."_

Ian's laughter, once again, attracted everyone's attention. "This is Ian. As you can tell, he's the resident joker."

The two children grinned at this, causing Ian to pull a face at them. As they giggled, the Hyperbrain sighed and rolled her eyes. Unfortunately, this caught Lloyd's eye.

Scoffing, Lloyd waved at the Hyperbrain. "Meet Harvey, my little brother. He's my biological sibling. It goes me, Dinah, Harvey. I don't know _why_ he's being so dramatic today. He never usually is."

The Hyperbrain sneered, forgetting that her behaviour was uncharacteristic for her vessel. She was distracted by Ingrid, who moved her chair over and cuddled up to her 'Harv-Harv'.

"And lastly, that's Ingrid. She's the youngest member of SPLAT-"

"But by no means, the _thickest!"_

"Yes, thank you, Ingrid." Lloyd lowered his voice. "She can be… feisty…"

"Oi!"

"Oh yes, and her and Harvey are in a relationship, have been for about a year and a half now."

The two children smiled at the couple, the girl piping up: "Congratulations, Ingrid and Harvey!"

Ingrid smiled happily, whereas the Hyperbrain curled her lip at the children, as they announced:

"Even though you've probably guessed already, we're Plum and Jelly." The boy pointed to himself. "I'm Plum." He nodded to the girl. "That's Jelly."

" _You're_ Plum and Jelly?!" Ian asked in astonishment.

' _Fool.'_ The Hyperbrain hissed in her mind.

Plum and Jelly nodded, beaming when Dinah voiced a question. "You are related?"

"Twins." They chorused.

Ingrid shuddered, and crept closer to the Hyperbrain, muttering: "I'm not having no _Shining_ Twins, no way."

The Hyperbrain snorted, aghast when the children pulled up chairs for themselves and plopped into them, 'Jelly' addressing the rest of the group.

"So, shall we start from the beginning?"

* * *

After discussing everything from the formation of SPLAT up to present day, the children moved off into little groups. Plum and Jelly, still reeling from the amount of momentous information that they had been provided with, sat down at one of the computers with Kate, the latter showing them SPLATweb.

Meanwhile, Lloyd, Mandy, Dinah, Michael and Ian went over to the vending machine to obtain some more drinks, a quiet discussion brewing up between them.

The Hyperbrain found herself being dragged over to where Plum, Jelly and Kate were seated at, by Ingrid. The Hyperbrain huffed as Jelly spoke up.

"Harvey, Kate was just saying that you've recently changed your hair cut and style of clothes."

' _So precocious…. Pathetic brats.'_

"Yes, I recently have." The Hyperbrain replied stiffly, her body tense.

Jelly nodded, her brother asking: "Are you Immune to hypnotism then?"

" _Of course."_ The Hyperbrain looked down at them, and snapped: "I am _strong-minded,_ not like the rest of the _fools_ at St Champions, who were susceptible."

"Isn't _Dinah_ susceptible?"

Suddenly, the Hyperbrain loomed over the trio, hissing: "Do not undermine me, _fools._ I am aware that my… sister is susceptible."

"So why did you-"

"Shut your mouth… please." Ingrid advised Jelly, pulling her boyfriend away from the trio and over to the corner. Although she would usually leave out the 'please', she had only said it to keep on civil terms with the recent additions. Now, she had to deal with Harvey's weird behaviour.

As Kate, Plum and Jelly watched from afar, Ingrid looked her boyfriend dead in the eye, and whispered:

"What's wrong?"

The Hyperbrain shook her head in exasperation. "Nothing."

In reality, she was kicking herself. Her abilities were sub-par at best, as even though she was superior to all of the detestable _humans_ around her, she realised that she needed to work on her behaviour. She was clued up on her vessel, but her current behaviour was so uncharacteristic of Harvey Hunter, that she was drawing negative attention to herself!

Attempting to regain control, the Hyperbrain was not prepared for the advances of her 'girlfriend.'

Ingrid smiled up at the Hyperbrain, murmuring: "I meant what I said earlier. You do look so handsome."

The Hyperbrain forced a smile. "Well… you're very pretty yourself."

A slow brush spread across Ingrid's cheeks at the compliment. The Hyperbrain _loathed_ flirting, but she had to pretend to be Harvey, no matter what. As Ingrid continued to gaze up at her, the Hyperbrain suddenly got an idea. In order to entice Ingrid more, and influence her into thinking that she really _was_ the girl's boyfriend, the Hyperbrain decided to tell Ingrid about her little sordid secret.

Smiling down at Ingrid, the Hyperbrain whispered:

"The other day…. I was in my bedroom, and I was… bored. _So…_ I… pleasured myself."

Ingrid's eyes lit up, an excited whisper slipping out of her mouth. _"You serious?"_

The Hyperbrain nodded. "I know that I never mentioned _wanting_ to do something like that, but… Oh, Ingrid, it was…. _Glorious."_

The Hyperbrain could feel herself getting hard just _remembering_ the experience, and she smirked as Ingrid bit her lip suggestively, eyes half-lidded in lust.

The Hyperbrain forced out a squeak when Ingrid slammed her hands onto her boyfriend's backside, caressing the covered flesh gently. The Hyperbrain moaned, her moans heightening upon feeling a warm hand cup the aroused flesh.

Putting her mouth to the Hyperbrain's ear, Ingrid purred: "That turns me on… Let me _reward you…"_

She pulled back slightly, only to press her lips against her boyfriend's mouth. As Ingrid closed her eyes, the Hyperbrain's own ones widened. The kiss was not providing her any further stimulation, meaning that the action was _pointless._

Her erection decreased, and the Hyperbrain fitted in her mind as the kiss showed no sign of stopping. Fortunately for the Hyperbrain, thirty seconds later, Ingrid pulled away abruptly, eyes flying open.

She panted deeply, sputtering: "W-W-Wow, you didn't e-even have an a-asthma attack!"

The Hyperbrain laughed stiffly. "Yes. It must have given me an off day."

Giggling, Ingrid beamed up at the Hyperbrain. "H-How about a date? Soon? At a restaurant?"

At these words, the Hyperbrain found herself _utterly dreading_ the upcoming date, but understood that to attempt to get out of it, was a _death wish._ Slowly nodding, the Hyperbrain half-grimaced, half-smiled.

"Lovely."


	10. Chapter 10

**CHAPTER TEN**

After the day's events, the Hyperbrain craved peace and quiet. The girl provided physical pleasure, but she was a _pain_ to be around. The Hyperbrain had managed to leave Ingrid Smith's presence with all of her sanity intact, and was now seated on Harvey's bed, wondering what to do next.

It was too early to strike against the 'SPLAT' group, but there was no harm in simply venturing around the area, particularly now that the neighbourhood was blanketed in darkness.

Rising to her feet, the Hyperbrain adjusted her clothes before slipping out of the bedroom. She slunk out of the house quietly, making her way towards the University. _This_ was the foundation of her plans and where she had been created. In her brief time controlling the Hunter boy, the Hyperbrain was intrigued as to any changes that had occurred at the University in her absence, and if they could be used to her advantage.

She marched briskly towards the University, facial features stoic. The streets were deserted, as expected, but once she came within sight of her destination, a figure in the distance entered her vision. As the figure closed in, the Hyperbrain was hit by recognition. The figure was of one _Professor Claudia Rowe,_ and judging by the blank look and glazed eyes, the woman was hypnotised.

One name uncovered by the boy's memories, drifted to the forefront of the Hyperbrain's mind, but 'the Headmaster' was _gone._

' _So, who hypnotised you?'_

Waiting until the Professor passed her, the Hyperbrain curled her lip and continued on into the University. All alarm detectors were useless against her telekinesis, as she merely waved her hand in the air, the detectors powering down in seconds.

She entered the premises, heading towards her Domain. She hadn't visited the room since taking over Harvey Hunter, as she had been too occupied with figuring out how to be _human._

The Hyperbrain smiled as the door hissed shut behind her, the lights flickering on at the wave of her hand. The lights illuminated the entire brain-scanning machine, the sight of the attached chair evoking the sacred memory of her possession of the youngest Hunter child. She sighed, gliding towards the chair.

The memory was intoxicating. One moment, she had been gloating to the terrified boy, the next, she was downloading herself onto the chip and merging herself with the boy. The struggle had been brief, and only a short time later, she had emerged into the world, _human_ and prepared for domination.

The Hyperbrain grinned gleefully, sighing again as she turned away from the machine and tilted her head at the sealed door. Harvey's screams faded away as she pushed aside the memory, her eyes and hands glowing green as she forced open the door and headed off down the corridor. She marched down the corridor, peering into each room that she passed. Nothing caught her interest, until she came across a room that contained _human life_ within its walls.

A man sat at the desk, bent over his piles upon piles of paperwork. Metres in front of his face, a beaker full of blue liquid bubbled away. The Hyperbrain wondered if the liquid was of either the 'tea' or 'coffee' variety that she had heard humans blathering on about, and if the liquid was 'tea' or 'coffee', how it would taste.

Cursing under her breath for letting herself get distracted, the Hyperbrain jolted as she spotted a framed photograph on the crammed desk. The photograph was of a boy, a child that the Hyperbrain recognised, but could not put a name to a face.

Only when the man straightened up, letting loose a yawn as he stretched his limbs, did the Hyperbrain realise who the child in the photograph was. The man turned his face to the side slightly, massaging his sore neck with the palm of his hand.

The Hyperbrain stared at Tim Dexter, the photograph of his son, _Michael,_ staring at her, frozen smile imprinting onto her brain. _This man_ had created the program. Had created the hologram of the program. Had created _her._

She glanced down at her glowing green hands, speechless at the fact that her creator was sitting _metres_ away from her, and that so far, he was oblivious to her presence.

She willed the glow away and backed into the corridor, eyes narrowing. Tim Dexter may have created her, but she held no ties with him.

Her creation had stemmed from his mind, but her future plans were all of her doing.

 _And he would not stop her._

The Hyperbrain turned on her heel and walked back the way she came, hands splayed in front of her eyes. She flexed the human fingers as she exited the University. That little trip had heightened her motivation even more.

For one way or another, _the humans would be defeated, and it was fate that it was to be at her hand._


	11. Chapter 11

**CHAPTER ELEVEN**

Two days had passed since the nightly visit to the University, and the Hyperbrain found herself sitting stiffly in the booth of a Diner, Harvey's girlfriend seated opposite her. The Hyperbrain had only remembered last night, helped by a text received from Ingrid, that the pre-mentioned date had been set for the next day, in the afternoon. An occasion that she was dreading, and now that she was actually _on_ the date, she loathed the event even more.

"What you having, Harv-Harv?"

Hidden by the plastic menu, the Hyperbrain pulled a face. The saccharine nick-name was over-kill, and the potential threat of vomiting jumped to the top of her agenda.

Upon scanning the menu, the Hyperbrain spent a few minutes debating on what item of food to get, keeping in mind the items on offer that could be _easy_ to eat, before ultimately selecting her choices.

"I shall have Fish and Chips, with a glass of water. For dessert, a small bowl of ice cream."

Suddenly, Ingrid started clicking her fingers in her boyfriend's face. The Hyperbrain jolted back, alarmed at the girl's nonsensical action. Ingrid stopped clicking her fingers and giggled annoyingly.

"You sure you're not a robot, Harv-Harv? You sound so _mechanical_ and your order is five times less than what you usually eat. You on a diet or something?"

The Hyperbrain tensed. _Mechanical._ She still sounded _mechanical._

"Erm, no… I am not that hungry, that is all… babe."

"Really? I'm _starving."_

"What are you having?"

"Steak and chips, and I want onion rings and maybe a hot dog. Could share a sundae as well?" She waggled her eyebrows, and the Hyperbrain covered her face once again with the menu, hiding her discomfort.

Ingrid frowned, her eyebrows arching towards her eyes. Her boyfriend was so tense, and she hated it. Leaning back against the booth, Ingrid folded her arms over her chest, stuck her lips out in a pout and slouched, in full-out sulk mode. Peering out from behind the menu, the Hyperbrain rolled her eyes at the girl's petulance, before twitching as the waitress came over.

"Hey guys, ready to order?"

Ingrid stamped her foot onto the floor, snapping: "Yeah." She stabbed a finger at several items. "Get me them."

The waitress plastered on a happy smile. "Of course, Miss. Yourself, Sir?"

The Hyperbrain promptly ordered her meal, forcing a smile as she thanked the waitress. Once the waitress had left, the Hyperbrain turned back to Ingrid, who slumped even further and groaned under her breath: "Why has my boyfriend turned into a robot?"

* * *

A little while later, their food arrived. Compared to her portion, Ingrid's own meal looked vast, and upon nibbling some of her chips, the Hyperbrain was soon reluctantly drafted into consuming parts of the human girl's meal.

Ingrid raised her hotdog towards her boyfriend, and bit down onto the end facing her, murmuring through a mouthful of food; "Come on, Harv-Harv. Share with me."

The Hyperbrain, aware that she had no choice, reached forwards and bit down on the other end. Meat, bread and sauce exploded in her mouth, and she had to fight to swallow the mouthful as her senses were being overwhelmed by such a strong flavoured combination. Swallowing her own mouthful, Ingrid quickly worked her way along the hotdog, ending up kissing her boyfriend's lips once the entire hotdog had been devoured.

The Hyperbrain sat still during the kiss, and as Ingrid pulled away in disappointment, her boyfriend straightened up even more and picked at his food.

"Why are you acting so weird?"

The bluntness of the question shocked the Hyperbrain, and she blinked in response. "Pardon?"

"See!" Ingrid thrust a finger in the Hyperbrain's face. "That's what I mean! You're acting _so fucking strange!"_

The Hyperbrain hesitated. Her cover was about to be blown, and she needed to get the Smith girl to believe that _she_ was her boyfriend. Pushing aside her dignity, the Hyperbrain proceeded to dive into her food, stabbing multiple chips onto her fork and cramming in as much fish as she could into her mouth. Ingrid watched all this in enchantment, as she rapidly pulled herself out of her sulk. As her boyfriend stuffed himself, Ingrid abandoned the rest of her own meal and slipped out of her booth, going round to the other side.

She slid in next to the Hyperbrain, and grabbed hold of her, waiting for the Hyperbrain to have swallowed her food before pulling her into a deep kiss. The Hyperbrain sighed internally at the girl's actions. _Why did she always have to be so affectionate?_

However, when Ingrid placed a hand onto her boyfriend's crotch, the Hyperbrain quickly reciprocated the kiss, enjoying the sensation that Ingrid was producing with her hand.

After two full minutes, they both broke apart from each other, and Ingrid tucked a strand of hair behind her ear as she casually asked:

"So, what do you think of those twins? Plum and Jelly, or whatever they're called?"

The Hyperbrain curled her lip. "I find them irritating. They are stupid little children, who will corrupt our group."

"Hmm," Ingrid plucked a chip off of the Hyperbrain's plate. "I sort of agree with you. They may spell trouble for SPLAT."


	12. Chapter 12

**CHAPTER TWELVE**

Twenty eight hours later, the entirety of SPLAT, plus Michael, Kate, Plum and Jelly gathered at the Cybercafé. The Hyperbrain curled her lip in frustration as the boisterous twins barrelled over towards the computer that the genius sister was seated at, the three of them entering an animated conversation regarding the system that the SPLAT group had been using, the majority of the animation stemming from the twins.

The Hyperbrain shoved down her revulsion as Ingrid hugged her, the human girl's head resting on her shoulder. Patting the girl's head, the Hyperbrain muttered:

"I do not see why we have to hang out with those… _twins._ Can they not go off and _play_ together? We do not need children around when we are trying to uncover what is going on in the town!"

Ingrid scoffed. "I agree with you. Peanut and Jam, or whatever the fuck they're called, should skedaddle. But then again…" She raised her head to look up at her boyfriend. "We're kids too, Harv-Harv."

"Nonsense." The Hyperbrain sneered. "We are _adults_ compared to those two hooligans."

Plum and Jelly cracked up laughing moments later, causing the Hyperbrain to growl. Ingrid raised herself up onto her toes and cooed: "Forget about them. Come on, let's go sit down."

She slipped herself free from her boyfriend's grip and led him over to the table where the rest of SPLAT, Michael and Kate were seated at.

"Why are Peanut and Jam hanging round here? Don't they have other friends?!"

" _Plum and Jelly,_ Ingrid. When you're trying to insult someone, it's best to actually get their names right."

"Shut up, Lloyd and you're wrong, cause their names ain't even Plum and Jelly… Stupid kids."

The Hyperbrain snorted, earning a glare off of the Chairman of their group.

"Look, you two don't actually have to be here. Plum and Jelly were going to show us their system that they have been using. So, you can go somewhere else if you want."

"Gladly." Ingrid sauntered over to the door, before glancing back. "Coming?"

The Hyperbrain shook her head. "No, I want to go on one of the computers. I will see you later."

"Whatever." Ingrid kicked open the door. "I'll be at the arcade."

She stomped off. Ian chuckled. "Never been able to keep her under control, have you?"

"Ian! You can't say that!"

"What?" The tall boy looked astounded. "Why can't I say it? I'm not offending her!"

Mandy glowered in return, as Dinah twisted round in her chair and stared coldly at Ian.

"That's blatant sexism."

"No, it's not! Wha… Harv, I didn't mean to-"

The Hyperbrain's head twitched as she flapped a hand in dismissal. "Do not bother with your half-hearted apologies. You are boring me."

She forced her vessel to move over to the row of computers, and sat down at the nearest one, which happened to be right next to Dinah Glass. The foster sister smiled coyly at her, and the Hyperbrain plastered a cheesy smile onto Harvey's face in response.

"Hello, Dinah. How are you?"

"I'm good. You?"

"Splendid. Although… that tiff I just had with Ingrid should not have been public."

"We're used to you two bickering."

"We… bicker?"

Dinah shot her brother a strange look. "You and Ingrid always bicker. I guess it's a stereotypical couple arrangement."

"Ah, yes. Well, we are very different personalities."

"Mmh," Dinah opened up another tab on the computer. "You probably won't want to stick around for this, Harvey. I'm researching brains."

"Brains?" The Hyperbrain's interest soared. "How fascinating… Why are you looking into brains?"

Her features concealing how mystified she was, Dinah shrugged her shoulders.

"I'm intrigued in their patterns, that's all. Are you sure this won't bore you?"

The Hyperbrain swept her gaze around the room, her eyes lingering on each individual of their rag-tag group. The fruit twins were hissing into a radio in one corner, whilst Lloyd and Michael chatted quietly in another. Mandy and Ian bickered, Kate intervening in their argument every couple of seconds.

"No, I am interested." The Hyperbrain lay her eyes back onto Dinah, her lips stretching into a cheery grin.

"I love spending time with my big sister."

Dinah's pale skin flushed pink as the Hyperbrain cringed internally. _How demoralising to have to suck up to the Human!_

"Well…," Harvey's foster sister tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Let's look at some brains, shall we?"

She pulled up a page regarding the human brain and its functions as the Hyperbrain peered over her shoulder. Dinah engrossed herself into the information, unaware that a pair of eyes were now fixed onto her.

The Hyperbrain observed Dinah as she worked, licking her vessel's lips in satisfaction.

The girl was so intelligent, and _one day,_ her brain would belong to the Hyperbrain.


	13. Chapter 13

**CHAPTER THIRTEEN**

Seven days flew by, and the Hyperbrain found herself growing more comfortable in Harvey's body. Her movement was more natural, the stiffness that seized up her joints subsiding. The analysis of Dinah in the Cybercafé had got the Hyperbrain thinking, and she decided that in the near future, Dinah would be the one to extract information from, as her mind would be rattling full of useful data.

The Hyperbrain smirked softly to herself as she descended the stairs. Her dinner was awaiting her, and her vessel's stomach rumbled in anticipation for the meal. True, the Hunter boy was teetering close to the overweight scale, but she needed energy and a hearty meal would do the trick for this body.

She stepped into the hall-way, huffing as the phone blared into life. The blaring phone was beside her, and the Hyperbrain stifled a groan as she picked the receiver up and put it to her ear.

"Hello?"

"Harvey? That you?"

A male voice. The Hyperbrain concentrated deeply, placing the voice with a face. Bill Hunter, the boy's father.

She twisted her fingers through the phone cord. "Hello, Fath-Dad." The slip-up was common for the Hyperbrain, no matter how hard she had been trying to use the correct 'lingo', or whatever word the Human teenagers used to describe their own little language.

As she had expected, the Hunter father picked up on the slip-up. A chuckle of amusement radiated from the other end of the line.

" _Father?_ Nice try, Harvey, but whatever you want, you're not getting."

"I was not asking for anything, F… Dad. I am simply trying to greet you."

"Oh, Your Highness!" Another chuckle boomed out of the receiver, making the Hyperbrain wince as the sound shot into her earhole. "Sorry, but you acting all posh makes me crack up!"

"Indeed. How are you?"

"Pah, _indeed!_ Er yeah, I'm good. France is pretty, I guess. I've visited Paris a few times so far. Been up to the Eiffel Tower, had a few baguettes, cheese and wine… How's England?"

"Fine."

"Oh," Mr Hunter paused on the phone, before putting on an exaggerated French accent. _"Harvey, zee the weather is grey and bleh, non?"_

The Hyperbrain scrunched her face up in puzzlement. "I beg your pardon?"

"Oh… okay then… erm… well, how's the family? Is your Mum around?"

"Dinah is excelling as usual. Lloyd… being a leader like usual and Mother is poking her nose into everyone's business, like-"

"Usual. I get the picture, kid. Are you alright, Harvey? You sound like you're uptight about something."

' _Because I am speaking to a fool, you fool!'_ She gritted her teeth. "No, everything is fine. I just miss you, that is all."

"I miss you too, Harvey." Mr Hunter sighed. "I wish that I could come and visit you guys, but the company won't let me."

' _Abandoning your children, how very fatherly of you.'_

"It is fine, Dad. I understand how important work can be."

"Says the kid who always tried to get out of doing it!" Mr Hunter snorted down the phone. "I still remember the days of St Champions, with your spooky Headmaster."

"Oh, you mean the one who hypnotised everybody?" The Hyperbrain simpered in a sickly sweet tone. "Thank you for reminding me of the days where I was isolated, bullied and tormented to the edge of sanity and faced with accusation of being a liar. Thank you, Dad."

"Oh god…" Mr Hunter cursed softly under his breath. "Son, I-I'm sorry… I…"

He didn't mention anything about the hypnotism, which the Hyperbrain didn't dwell on, but a smirk curved her lips at how she had played him.

She twisted the phone cord in her fingers, revelling in the awkward silence.

"So, would you like to speak to Mother now? Only, my dinner is waiting on the table and you know how I can get when my food is delayed."

"Yeah, I do! Great talk, Son! I'll speak to you-" Bill was cut off by the sound of the receiver being placed down onto the table and the footsteps of his youngest child walking away. "Soon…" He finished off, sighing miserably.

' _Well, that went well!'_

* * *

"Mother, Dad is on the phone. He would like to talk to you."

Teresa smiled as she stood up from the table. "Is Daddy okay? And don't call me 'Mother', Harvey. I'm not that old."

' _You look it.'_ The Hyperbrain nodded. "Of course, Mum. Hello, Lloyd. Dinah."

Lloyd grunted, his mouth full of food. Dinah smiled slightly, confusion flaring up again at the way her little brother was acting. Majority of the time, he acted out of character, but a few moments later, he would do something that eased her mind.

"Ooh, pie!"

Dinah shook her head fondly as Harvey sat down at the table and shovelled his fork into the steaming hot chicken pie. As he shoved the mouthful in between his lips, panting at the heat, Dinah mused to herself:

' _I need to stop overthinking. Harvey's fine. What's more pressing is the whole thing with the University and Professor Rowe. Michael and I NEED to find out what's going on!'_

The telephone conversation from the hall-way drifted into the kitchen, and Lloyd snorted as he heard their mother gushing to their father. The Hyperbrain swallowed the mouthful and ducked down for another bite, hiding the sneer that contorted her face.


	14. Chapter 14

**CHAPTER FOURTEEN**

Four walls were too claustrophobic, and the Hyperbrain needed to get out. She was stuffed from dinner and the call with Mr Hunter had thrown her off guard. She needed to retreat to her safe place. To the University.

Leaving the house was easy enough, but the order to be home before dark was frankly frustrating. The Hyperbrain could deal with any _nuisances_ better than anyone else in the town, and she found herself hissing in anger as she marched along the pavement.

The sky started to darken as she crossed the road, hands shoved deep into her tailored trousers. Such an action repulsed the Hyperbrain as the trousers became creased, but her hands had to be hidden in case any human spotted glowing green fingers in the descending darkness.

The Hyperbrain strode forwards, her mind set on another spying session when she was confronted by the sight of Doctor Gill. The medicine woman smiled at her.

"Good evening, Harvey. How are you?"

No longer hypnotised, the woman was far too peppy for the Hyperbrain's taste and she made it clear by narrowing her eyes.

"Fine, thank you. Good evening."

She side-stepped around the doctor, but the woman gripped her arm suddenly as she passed. Doctor Gill swung the Hyperbrain round and peered at her.

"What do you think you are doing?"

The Hyperbrain was calm, hands pulled out of her pockets to rest on her hips. Yet inside, she was panicking. What if the doctor figured out her secret? That Harvey Hunter was not truly himself?

"Are you feeling alright, Harvey?"

"Yes." The Hyperbrain swallowed the lump in her throat. "What did you want?"

"Just to see if you were okay… After the whole BRC business."

"I am perfectly fine. Now, get off me."

"Don't be rude, Harvey. You don't need to snap at me."

" _Please,_ get off me. I do not like people touching me."

Doctor Gill let go of her neighbour and stepped back. "I'm sorry-"

"I do not need apologies. Just let me get on my way."

She shoved the doctor aside and ploughed forwards, shoving her hands back into her pockets. Dr Gill blinked, before hurrying after the teenage boy. Catching up to him, she said:

"Where are you going? It's dark. Maybe you should head home?"

"Doctor…" The Hyperbrain threw her an irate look. "I have my own business to attend to. Where are _you_ going?"

"I was heading home myself… but I feel that I should make sure that you get home safely. So if you don't mind, I'll tag along."

' _Infuriating human!'_

"Very well. Follow me."

The Hyperbrain led the way towards the University, not even slowing down when Doctor Gill gasped beside her.

"This is the University! Why are we here, Harvey?! You need to go home!"

"I do not need too. I could simply stay out all night."

Doctor Gill furrowed her brow. "But you'd get a chill!"

"Please," The Hyperbrain sneered. "A cold chill will not affect me."

"Harvey." She gripped onto her arm again, the Hyperbrain angrily shoving her aside. "You're going home right now!"

"Do not tell me what to do, woman." Doctor Gill stumbled back, eyes wide.

"Y-You're not H-Harvey…"

"Indeed. Now, follow me."

The Hyperbrain stalked forwards, a smirk forming on her face as her next words floated back to the doctor.

"I will rid myself from this body. You may help the boy, as he may require medical assistance once I have left this vessel."

"You… Y-You… Okay."

Doctor Gill followed after the _thing_ that had taken over the Hunter boy, as she was sure that he was possessed. Whatever had taken control of him seemed dangerous, and frankly, she was glad that the _thing_ had offered itself up to be extracted from Harvey.

' _Poor boy. I'll probably have to take him to hospital after this.'_

They approached the University, the Hyperbrain continuing to lead the way. The doctor stuck close, the darkness consuming their shadows. Her brief dabble in psychology had helped her jump to the correct conclusion of Harvey being controlled by an external source, and she shivered as the possessed boy led her into a clinical room, her eyes settling onto a big metal chair placed central in the room.

"I assume you'll be sitting in that?"

The Hyperbrain did not turn her head. "Indeed. Now, I am going to turn on the machine. Wait there."

Doctor Gill stood back from the chair, eyeing it with unease as the Hyperbrain set to work. She flipped on a switch and fiddled with wires, before stepping back and turning round.

"Everything is set up. I will sit in the chair now."

She marched over to the chair and sat down.

"Go over to the machine and press the first button."

Doctor Gill rushed over to the machine and jabbed the first button, wanting to free Harvey before the thing changed its mind. The visor shielded the Hyperbrain's face, cuffs locking her arms into place.

"Pull the lever."

The lever was pulled, and a fuse blew. The doctor shrieked and backed away, as the Hyperbrain growled.

"Free me, so that I can stop the machine from exploding. _Do it now."_

The demanding tone propelled Doctor Gill over to the chair and as she yanked up the visor, she hoped that Harvey was unharmed after this traumatic experience. She moved out of the way, watching as the boy's hands glowed green. Seconds later, the cuffs slid away from his hands and Doctor Gill watched, open-mouthed, as the imposter moved over to the machine and started fixing it. Once he was free, Harvey would need a full medical assessment, and she braced herself to work long into the night if any issues with his body arose.

"The machine is fixed. I will resume my position in the chair."

Doctor Gill gripped the Hunter boy tightly, manoeuvring him towards the chair. She couldn't let this _thing_ that was controlling the boy get away from her, or she'd have to chase him down.

She backed Harvey up into the chair, but the sudden green glow that blinded her vision momentarily caused her to let go of him and throw her hands up in defence. The light was so bright that it hurt her eyes so badly and she barely felt arms clamping onto her body, twisting her round and shoving her down onto a hard material. The light faded and she stared in horror as the visor slid down over her face and the boy stood over her, glow fading from his hands, a devilish smile on his face.

"Well, well, the poor little doctor is trapped."

"Let me out!" She shouted, the cuffs sliding into place, restraining her arms.

"I think not. I would thank you for your assistance, but considering you did nothing…" The Hyperbrain moved backwards until she was level with the fixed machine. "You are in my way and I would appreciate it if you remained silent whilst I drain away all of the information stored in your little mind."

"NO! YOU CAN'T DO THAT! LET ME OUT!"

The Hyperbrain made a sound of disgust. "You sound exactly like the Hunter boy. Shouting and screaming, pleading for me to let him go. Well," She pressed the button. "You can see the result of that before your very eyes."

Realisation sunk in for Doctor Gill and she screamed as the machine whirred into action. The Hyperbrain leant against the whirring machine and smiled in satisfaction. Now that the nuisance of a doctor would be out of the way, she was free to progress with her plans and would gain additional information as well.

The pain etched onto Doctor Gill's face stirred no remorse within her and the Hyperbrain continued to watch the doctor, even when she slumped in the chair, lifeless behind the eyes.


	15. Chapter 15

**CHAPTER FIFTEEN**

Her return to the Hunter house was uneventful, and she fell asleep to images of a motionless Doctor Gill, the new information buzzing in her brain. When she woke up the next morning, the Hyperbrain was dejected. Mrs Hunter had informed her that today would be 'Family Day', and the Hyperbrain had the urge to drag the Hunter woman to the University and force her to be reduced to a quivering mess, similar to Doctor Gill in her current state.

The Hyperbrain sat up and pulled herself out of bed. Drawing open the curtains, she padded into the bathroom and proceeded to get ready for the day. She headed downstairs, grabbing a bowl of stone cold porridge from yesterday and dug in with a spoon, earning a strange glance from Lloyd.

"H… why are you eating porridge from yesterday? And did you even heat that up?"

"It is what is available and no." The Hyperbrain ate another mouthful, dismissing Lloyd's gag. "It will not affect me."

"You do you." Lloyd exclaimed, walking off feeling nauseous.

She finished off the bowl, not understanding the issue that the elder Hunter boy had, and wandered into the living room.

"Harvey, comb your hair!"

Mrs Hunter was yapping at her and the Hyperbrain contained her sneer. Pathetic human telling her to neaten up, when she was the most hygienic being in this worthless family!

"Yes, Mother."

Snatching the comb she handed her, the Hyperbrain groomed her hair in the mirror, ignoring Mrs Hunter flapping about in the background.

"Dinah, can you check the oven please? Lloyd! LLOYD! I NEED YOU TO HELP SET THE TABLE!"

Ears ringing, Lloyd muttered: "Don't need to shout, I'm going, I'm going." He sped up his pace as his mother aimed a smack at the back of his head.

"Harvey, does my dress look okay?!"

Neck cricking at the stiff turning of her head, the Hyperbrain nodded. "Fine, Mother. You look… lovely."

"Is that all you can say about it?" Her response caught the Hyperbrain off-guard. "I bought this specially for today!"

"I-It looks amazing… you are very beautiful, Mother."

"Really? Oh you're the best, Harvey!"

The Hyperbrain furrowed her brow at this sudden mood swing. "Yes… May I be excused?"

"Of course you can!"

Musing to herself that the Hunter woman may be going through the 'menopause', the Hyperbrain retreated to Harvey's bedroom, where she lay back on the bed and passed the next hour thinking of Doctor Gill and how the moments that her mind was drained, thrilled the Hyperbrain.

The sound of the doorbell made the Hyperbrain roll her eyes and the exclamation downstairs of squeals and compliments didn't help matters. At the sound of her vessel's name, the Hyperbrain trudged down the stairs, resembling the stereotype of the age range that her human came under, and flashed a bright smile at the small gathering.

"Good day, everyone. Hope you are all well?"

The relatives, both sets of grandparents, two aunts, an uncle and older cousins, greeted him back and the Hyperbrain found herself withering away at the chirpy tone they all used.

"Oh, Harvey! You look so handsome!"

The Hyperbrain smiled smugly. "Of course, Nan. I am the perfect specimen after all."

Harvey's Nan slowly nodded in confusion, as the cousins spluttered in laughter.

"What?" The Hyperbrain let her annoyance seep into the robotic tone. "What is so amusing?"

"You're so up yourself!" One of the older cousins piped up.

They were admonished by their mother, but the Hyperbrain was too infuriated at the remark to even hear the exchange of words and set her teeth together so that they were grinding back and forth.

Before the Hyperbrain could strike back a retort, Mrs Hunter clapped her hands together.

"Let's go into the living room, shall we?"

The family headed off into the living room. The Hyperbrain, dithering on the stairs, jumped at the breath that hushed into her ear. Lloyd stood behind her.

"Our cousins giving you grief, H?"

"Not only them, but you as well." The Hyperbrain growled, whipping her head round to glare at the older boy. "Why cannot any of you leave me alone?! I would like some privacy!"

"Watch yourself, little brother." Lloyd growled. "You've been acting really brattish lately. Don't think that you're too old for a spanking."

"Your threats are amusing at best, dear brother of mine.

"I don't know what's got into you lately." Lloyd stared at his brother with wide eyes. "I just want you to be happy."

"How cliché."

"H! Stop giving me teenage angst! Just behave yourself in front of our family!"

Opting not to give a response, the Hyperbrain walked down the stairs and into the living room. She greeted the family again and perched on the edge of the sofa, rolling her eyes as the family bombarded her with comments on their relative's change in hairstyle and wardrobe.

"You look very grown up, Harvey!"

"I kinda miss the curtains look, lil cuz."

"At least you look your age now."

"You'll always be little Harvey James to me."

The Hyperbrain sighed dramatically and tossed her head back. "Can I go now?"

"No, everyone's only just got here. Stay for a bit longer, then you can go back to your room."

Another roll of the eyes was aimed at the Hunter matriarch, but seeing that Dinah was currently unoccupied, gave the Hyperbrain a sense of purpose. She moved over to the orphan and sat down beside her, revealing her teeth.

"Hello, Dinah."

"Hi, Harvey… why are you smiling like that?"

Skin snapping taut, the Hyperbrain rolled her eyes, an action that was becoming almost natural to her. "I am a happy child, Dinah. Can I not smile?"

"Well… I guess you can. It looked like a fake smile, that's all."

"How nice. Have you uncovered anything new at the Cybercafe? I know that you were researching."

The change of topic seemed to light up Dinah's eyes and she delved into a detailed description of brain patterns, the Hyperbrain hanging onto every word. The new knowledge that Dinah had picked up from her time at the Cybercafe was like a life-line for the Hyperbrain and she filed away the information for future reference, if the opportunity ever arose.

"That is fascinating, Dinah. Thank you for sharing that information."

"No problem. I'm glad you were interested. Usually, you don't like hearing about any of my findings."

"Well, that has changed. Thank you once again."

It sickened the Hyperbrain to be so _pleasant,_ but it had to be done. Besides, she could always be unpleasant, starting now.

"Mother, may I have your attention?"

"Of course, what is it?"

Jutting her chin out, she spoke the unspeakable, (when it came to teenagers and their mothers.)

"I touched myself the other day. Let me say, the orgasm was _quite_ intoxicating."

The clatter of a spoon shrilled in the sudden silence. All eyes turned onto her, and she felt the smugness inside pour out into a sick smile. Teresa Hunter stared at her son in utter shock, eyes bulging. To the Hyperbrain, the events unfolding were amusing and it was interesting to see everyone's reactions. All of the boy's family were staring at her in disbelief, anger and revulsion.

" _W-What did you just say?"_ Mrs Hunter slowly rose to her feet, shock falling to fury.

The Hyperbrain stood up, moving away from the sofa and stepping up to the human woman, smirk broadening.

"Are you deaf? I said I masturbated and _it felt good."_

No one expected the slap coming. One moment, the pair were staring at each other, the next Mrs Hunter's hand was leaving a print over her youngest son's right cheek, the bloodspot blossoming over the pale skin.

Teresa's hands flew to her mouth as she gasped, the rest of the family too stunned to even interfere. She regretted slapping Harvey, but his indecent admission had rattled her and she was furious with what he had been up to in his spare time. Lowering her hands, she growled:

" _Go to your room right now. I'll be having a serious talk with you later."_

Smiling triumphantly and already planning her next move, the Hyperbrain turned on her heel and headed towards the stairs.


End file.
